Or maybe they don’t because we’re busy blowing them up (in the foolish belief that violence will just ‘solve the problem’)…

… and according to the First Apostle these are still just heralds to the apocalypse or something.

Actually, the decryption tools had done their damn job. Alongside a whole lot of filler data - because that’s what you get when you’re messing around in the airspace operations - our haul included three files that looked more promising. I decided to take a peek at the first one.



Now, that was a real downer right at the start of the day. Clearly, someone had a less-than-stellar experience with their partial or maybe full-blown transformation into a cyborg, all in the name of treating something. What caught my eye was the string “ABEL4”… which probably stood for Azimuth Biotech Experimental Labs-4. Based on the message, I figured this was some facility dabbling in cybernetics. But beyond that, no origin, no breadcrumbs. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how this patient managed to send that message and how it all played out. Guess we’d never find out.

I decided to check out the next files and report back to Kasumi later. But before I plunged into the next one, I needed a damn coffee - and preferably one with a shot of brandy. I think someone once coined the name Carajillo for it.

At least the far god cult might now have their god.

Funny stuff!

These robots remind me of Supreme Commander, a rts game I absolutely loved.

Only because most people that attended weren’t ever seen again. And the light show was terrible. Turned off my ship, too. I rate it the worst of them all.

Aug 3309 was a party for the record books, wont see one like that again thats sure

I randomly saw this and had to share it.

H_Gk1G2LInw

Those folks certainly know how to party! :p

I actually don't recommend it. The last time I was there, I got bored out of my mind and somehow ended up with a Thargoid implant. And completely oversized curves.

Now I totally have to get myself a ticket to one of those funny 'Azimuth' things once! It seems like they're doing some cool stuff there and I can't miss that!

Of course I did. There is nothing more nefarious behind it, at all. And I'm being perfectly serious.

Why are you all looking at me like that? I didn't choose to have oversized proportions... actually, I did. Nevermind.

Did you mean that, once you see it, your heart may stop from a pure awe and astonishment? Did you?..

(more naïve voice, frequent blinking and stupid smiling)

As usual, I’d pretty much turned the local bathroom into a steam bath. Or sauna, but it was never really going to change, that. I liked spending time under a hot stream of water too much, for too long. By normal standards, which I didn’t care for in the slightest.

I inspected the datapad again once I was, mostly, dry, and at least in my underwear… trying to figure out exactly how it’d gotten here, because I sure couldn’t remember bringing it. Then again, I had been somewhat absent-minded in the moment of leaving, so maybe I’d grabbed it without really consciously registering the act. Or my memory was just acting up badly… also possible, especially since it was still “morning” by Earth standards. And I hated morning.

With that notion in mind… I just pushed off the wall lightly and let myself drift around the room, as I inspected the decrypted contents of the datapad. Not a lot to be found on it, but a data file detailing an incident involving an “insurgent attack” that had led to the breach of a containment unit, which held a supposed experimental pathogen named ‘Helix’… a name which rang a bell. That had been something the spy systems onboard the Lakon brick caught, as we were still in Xi Wangda, in an emergency transmission.

There was also a mention of a “ABEL-4” in that same document. Which had been sent to that facility where the outbreak had occurred, by all looks of it. Was that Black Flight ship part of their unit? It seemed possible… they were certainly mentioned too, though more in regards to monitoring surrounding stations for an outbreak.

Either way… mobile liquidators weren’t the best of news to be had. Not that I was convinced it would be a great idea to investigate the site of that containment breach, unless it’d been cleansed by now. Chances were said cleanup crew was also still present there.

At least, I knew what “ABEL-4” was, now. That left only number 3… if I hadn’t just forgotten about it again, already. Though I wasn’t sure about 1 either, only that 2 was supposedly that mobile lab.

The pad also included a snapshot of what appeared to be the navigation readout of a ship, pointing to a system in the Col 285 Sector region… and, with a bit of squinting, planet A 2. Then I was momentarily distracted by my big ‘rear bumper’ meeting a wall, and looked at the pad again. To see if it had any information on where the ship was headed, but the only other thing I got out of it was that it was actually supposed to be a “VIP escort” and damaged by ‘anarchists’ on its way through a war zone.

Given that I wasn’t awake for long and my brain hadn’t exited its ‘powering up’ phase yet, I left sending a message to my counterpart in this mess for when I was properly awake. Maybe a little nap… while I continued to occasionally bump around the room. I’d have done that even without my big body, but it made it more ‘exciting’.

… or kill you.

...an opportunity that can really change you and your entire life!

And definitely isn’t building any superweapons in the background.

They could meet someone with a captivating personality

I greeted the new day with a growling stomach and the remnants of yesterday’s catchy tune already humming on my lips as I woke. A quick glance at the clock told me it was late morning, a perfect time for a lady of my… unconventional profession to rise and shine.

After the usual morning scrub-up and a hearty, though not overly indulgent meal, I lounged back, letting my mind wander through the previous day’s escapades. That’s when it hit me - I hadn’t yet laid eyes on the data we’d snatched from the Musashi’s comms array.

I rummaged through the pile of yesterday’s attire and unearthed the data pad, the very same one I’d downloaded the data onto. Seems I tackled the task post-shower - a thorough moisturising of both body and palate, utilizing both water and brandy. And I felt top-notch, not a hint of a hangover in sight. Nothing beats a rugged constitution, I mused.

A peek at the data pad confirmed I had indeed kicked off the decryption tools, courtesy of Kasumi. Now, all that was left was to see if the whole affair had borne any fruit.

I knew it! It's so awesome that so many people may want to stay there, to work and live in those labs! Is it? Is it?... :p

Im gonna tell you right now you got about a 50/50 shot of not leaving the azimuth labs after that tour

Of course. Because there's an invitation to some wacky rave party and suddenly we started talking about stabbing and exploding people. I mean, what the actual heck? :p

(btw, a tour to Azimuth facilities really does sound intriguing, I have to admit, might be some real fun)

Darkness slowly faded, releasing me from the void of unconsciousness, into… freely floating around within the room, once my senses came to enough to realize it. That could have been rather embarrassing, but luckily, I was not too far from a wall.

Would have to check if the sleeping bag’s zipper was already beginning to wear. Or whether I’d just not closed it properly. Later…

For now, I… noticed the recovered Black Flight device, innocently attached to the side of a wall via its magnetic contact surface. I floated over, to take a brief look - my software had worked its magic already, it seemed. But too early to go over its files.

My brain was telling me to have some shower fun. And I’d definitely do that first - so I floated over there instead, not quite missing the thought of some of me looking overinflated, in this context.

I watched her as she snatched the floating weapon out of the air and then made her way out without a word. It was time for me to do the same - but for a moment, I found it hard to tear my eyes away from the spectacle she presented. I caught myself wondering how it would look if the rather stiff suit didn’t restrict her curves so much. Then I dismissed the weird thought as quickly as it had come.

I flew the Gullveig, which had lived up to its name and safely transported its entrusted treasures (namely us), back to my own carrier, while the lyrics “Kasumi bump bump bump, making hearts jump jump jump” kept running through my head in tune with a strangely cheerful melody that I had encountered somewhere recently. The combination was a total earworm.

Once I arrived at my own carrier, I stomped to my own cabin, looking forward to a shower, a good amount of Lavian Brandy, and lots of snacks, not necessarily in that order, and maybe even in combination - at least as far as the Brandy and the shower were concerned.

“I will, get through it. Do not worry.”, I said over my shoulder, and… noticed my pistol kind of just floating there, at the end of the cockpit. I fished it out of the air without a comment, and proceeded to make my way to the exit of the ship.

Once I did get there - thanks to forgetting whether it had been a front or back entrance - I kept in mind that, if any cameras were present, I’d likely have a silent observer… not that I could fault her. I was certainly somewhat of an object of interest, to observe.

I still pulled a silly face with my hands on the hips once I was in the airlock, then I squeezed out its other end too, since designers for some reason always thought their respective ends had to be narrower than the surrounding space, or the one they separated from the ship interior. And walked out of the hangar at a moderate pace - being on the pad when it got lifted out into the vacuum wouldn’t be too interesting of an experience, even if I’d probably survive it.

Then, on to the personal cabin I had on this carrier. Out of the more constricting suit, and clothes, into some baggy sleepwear… without any significant gravity, I could pass on the bra, too. After sealing the door, I just allowed myself to float around a bit, as I’d wanted, because… it did help me relax. Once I was in the right spot, and after a few ‘collisions’ with walls, usually with the “big bumper”, I guided myself over to the sleeping spot lazily, and quickly drifted away. That had been… even more tiring than I’d thought.

“I’ll take your suggestions into account, but next time we should not only change your seat but also the whole ship to have some more space.” I said, as I rose from my seat out of courtesy as my passenger prepared to leave the cockpit. You could accuse me of many things, but I did have a hint of manners.

“Your decryption tools are always welcome. You know, I’m more of a hands-on type” I said grinning, referring to the experience with the examination of the suit computer on board her carrier.

“See you soon. And watch out for the exit hatch, it gets a bit tighter there.” I said, as I watched my passenger make her way out.